One dead in pedestrian versus motor vehicle collision at South Lake Tahoe
On Dec. 10, 2016 at approximately 11:23 p.m., South Lake Tahoe (SLT) Police Officers were dispatched to 2600 Block of Lake Tahoe Boulevard, the Town and Country Center, to investigate a vehicle versus pedestrian collision.
Initial reports to the SLT Police indicated the pedestrian was running across the road before being struck by the vehicle.
The driver of the vehicle was Peng Shao, 33 years old, from San Jose, California.
Shao was driving his Toyota Prius westbound on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, traveling at approximately 35-40 miles per hour (mph), in the No. 2 traffic lane (slow lane) when the collision occurred.
Shao did not see the pedestrian in the roadway in time to avoid the collision. Shao immediately stopped his vehicle to check on the welfare of the pedestrian. Shao and his passenger were uninjured in this collision.
SLT Police and SLT Fire Rescue responded to the scene. The male pedestrian was transported to Barton Memorial Hospital where he underwent surgery and died.
The identity of the 32 year-old pedestrian, who has ties to South Lake Tahoe and the State of Idaho, is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.
The investigating officers, through physical evidence and statements, determined the male pedestrian was crossing Lake Tahoe Boulevard outside of a crosswalk, walking northbound from the area of the Town and Country Center.
The scene of the collision was approximately 100 yards away from a marked crosswalk at Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Carson Avenue.
Drugs or alcohol intoxication is not suspected with Shao, who is cooperating with the investigation. It is unknown at this time, pending an autopsy, if the pedestrian was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol.